Thank you for your letter and the postcards from England. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I am glad to hear they treated you well and that you had time to tour the countryside, meet people

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July-August, 1991

Dear Nadya,

Thank you for your letter and the postcards from England. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I am glad to hear they treated you well and that you had time to tour the countryside, meet people and practice your English. Finding teaching jobs at the university or college level is very difficult right now. I have been contacted by two private companies about coming to work for them. I interviewed with a computer company. They have a job for someone to help train and develop their managers. They pay pretty well but would require I travel frequently. You know I don't like to be away from home for very long. Another group of consultants also want to meet with me, however they require each employee spend about 70% of the time traveling. I am not interested in that much travel. Maybe if I were younger and didn't have a wife, dog and home... 70% is just too much travel for me. I am not too worried about finding work. I will be employed at the University until the end of June and in July we plan to go on holiday.

I did interview with the consulting group last week and the interview went quite well. I think they will have me back for more interviews this week. I also have an interview with a professional recruiter. I am not sure if such a profession is common in Russia. A professional recruiter's job is to match people with jobs. They usually are contracted by a large company and will seek to find qualified employees for positions in the company. In slang terms, we call such recruiters, "head-hunters". One such person has contacted me about a job in North Carolina with a public utility. They want someone to do management development, training, organization development, and succession planning. When the head-hunter got my resume he called and said he would fly to Minneapolis to meet me. On Wednesday, I am meeting with him at the Hilton Hotel by the airport. We will have lunch and talk about the job. Of course, this job would mean we would have to move to North Carolina. I prefer to stay in Minnesota but will move if it is necessary to find a good job.

As you know, we were in Alaska for a couple of weeks. The trip went well although the weather did not cooperate. Much of the time it was cold, gray, and raining. As a matter of fact, the weather was so uncomfortable that we came home early.

This week we have been working on getting back into the routine of our usual life. After our trip it took a couple of days to do the laundry and clean up the house. We had hired one of

Martha's students to stay at our house, take care of it, and to take care of Chauncy. Although she did take care of the pet, she was not very good at taking care of the house. The kitchen was a real mess as were many other rooms. She forgot to take care of the house plants so many of them died or were in poor condition. Now all that is fixed, Martha is back to work, and I am looking for a job. I hope to hear some news today or tomorrow. I have been in contact with a couple of companies who are considering my application. For the last few days we have been playing "telephone tag." I call the person and he is out, so someone takes a message. Then they call me and I am out, so I get a message. So I call him back, and he is unavailable, so I leave another message... and so on. Today I will stay around the house so not to miss any calls.

It's good to know that your trip to England was a success and that you arrived home safely. You are quite right, there is no place like home. My experience upon returning home is much the same as yours. I find myself constantly comparing the place I visited a ndl my home. A few years ago I took a seven day study trip to Jamaica. I remember, when I returned home, that St. Paul was different. I was, of course, seeing it through different eyes. I remember how clean and quiet it seemed. As the poet said:

"We shall not cease from exploring, And the end of our exploring Shall be to return to the place Where we started, And know it, again, for the first time."

I am glad you found the people in England friendly. Believe it or not, 1 think of them as rather reserved. That is to say they do not openly share many of their emotions. I found the people of Ireland much more open, friendly, and generous than the English. I think people in the United States are somewhere between the English and Irish - more expressive than the English but less so than the Irish. Of course, I will let you be the judge and decide for yourself when you visit the United States.

Well, that's all for today. Write when you can, friend.

Love,

Barry.

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September, 1991

Dear Nadya,

I haven't received a letter from you for quite some time. How are you? We are doing well. Not much has happened here since my last letter. Martha continues to teach. I have been spending a lot of time looking for a job. I have sent out dozens of applications, letters, and resumes but still have no firm offers. I know something will turn up, it is just a matter of time.

In the mean time I keep myself very busy around the house. Each day after I take Martha to work, I have coffee and read the paper. Then I start my house work. I do the laundry, wash dishes, sweep and vacuum the floors, paint and repair parts of the house, pay the bills, do the shopping, and prepare the meals. I really do not mind doing these things and it is only fair that I do them since I have the time and Martha is the one working right now.

Summer is ending, the leaves are starting to change colors, the days are warm but the nights are starting to become cool. In the sky overhead the birds, ducks and geese are starting to form groups and prepare for their migration south. By the end of September the average temperature will drop about 11 degrees F. and we may even see a few flakes of snow!

The Minnesota State Fair just ended yesterday. Martha spent three hours in the booth for the Shriners Hospital distributing information and talking with the people who passed by. While she was doing that I walked around the fairgrounds and looked at all the displays and all the people. This year prices at the fair were very high so we did not purchase anything except a bite to eat and drink.

Yesterday was Labor Day, a national holiday to recognize the contributions of organized labor and the unions in the United States. It is the day that Martha's home town of Dassel has its summer festival called Red Rooster Days. People come from miles around to eat grilled chicken, play baseball, dance, and take part in a number of exhibits. I walked with Chauncy up to the park in Dassel to look at an exhibit of old, fancy cars, and to people watch. Martha's father said that the organizers of the festival expected to grill and sell 5000 chickens. I know I did my share to help them with this goal. I ate a half of a chicken myself! After lunch Martha showed our photos of Alaska to some of the family and I took Chauncy down to the lake for a swim. He had a good time chasing ducks and retrieving sticks that I would throw for him. We drove home late in the afternoon. The day was warm and we had all the windows and the roof

ojpen in the car. I parked in the driveway in front of the house and forgot about the windows and roof. Overnight we had a very lirird rainstorm and the car got wet inside. So today while \f artha is at work, I am drying out the car and cleaning house, and Chauncy is sleeping off all the excitement of yesterday.

This week is the first week of school in Minnesota. Most children start classes in September. The University does not begin fall quarter until the end of September, but many of the ot her colleges (St. Thomas, St. Catherine, Hamline, Bethel, Augsburg, Concordia, etc.) open this week. About this time of ye=ar, I feel compelled to return to college, to walk on the campus mall, to see the students return. I feel the urge again now, but no»t as strongly as in past years. Perhaps I'll soon return as a prwafessor. Last weekend Martha and I took Chauncy for a walk on the Macalester College campus not far from our home. It wms fun to see all the students outside, enjoying the evening. Traey looked so young or is it I am getting old?

Fall is in Min nesota. The weather is warm and dry. We call it Indian summer. Last Saturday however it was very dark and cold an*l we had abou t an hour of heavy snow. Of course, the ground is still too warm for it to stay but it was the first sign of the impending winter.

That is all for now. I have to go get Martha from work and tonmight is my night to fix supper. We'll have hamburger, potato chi ps, beans, and sauerkraut - a real picnic put on our deck! We hawe to enjoy the warm weather before it is gone. I look forward to your next letter. Give my best wishes to your family, friends, and students. I'll write again next week.

Take care,

Barry.

October 1991

.Dear Friend,

2My job hunt continues. Each week, I go through the Chronicle of H3igher Education and the Minneapolis & St. Paul Star Tribune and read all of the help wanted ads. After I have marked the ones whi-ch seem appropriate for my qualifications, I send each organization a copy of my vitae and the list of references they might wisrn to contact. For academic jobs I will often also include a copy of my university transcripts (official grade and degree records), ihc.abstract from rny thesis, and copies of my publications. Then I

wait for about three weeks to hear from them. If they are interested in me they will send a letter stating that they have received my materials and will have some other forms for me to fill out and return. Or I may receive a short, polite letter stating that they have found someone else for the job. If I hear nothing, I will usually write or call them to inquire about my application and to see if they require any additional information. Then I wait again. The academic jobs are the hardest as it often takes 4-6 months for them to even make a preliminary decision and to narrow the field of job candidates. This is because academic jobs and applications are all reviewed through a committee process. Right now the Chronicle is filled with ads for jobs that will not start until next fall! It will take most of the winter and spring for the various committees to select and hire a person.

Today I received a phone call from a local medical group who is hiring a director of continuing medical education. They have my materials and are interested in me. The person who called wanted to be sure that I was still interested and that the salary would meet my expectations. They want to pay me less than I was making before I had my Ph.D. I told them the salary was a bit lower than I expected but we might be able to negotiate an acceptable amount. They said that would be fine and I should expect another call to set up an interview at the company. Perhaps I will have some good news.

I also received a letter from the University of Idaho. They are in the city of Pocatello, Idaho. Last year I had applied for a job with them and they hired someone else. They have another position and wanted to know if I was interested. I am and I sent them another set of application materials. I hope to hear from them soon.

Last week a couple of friends called to talk about potential jobs. My advisor, Gary McLean, sent me a letter from a friend of his who is seeking someone to help him do some training and development work for the Saudi Petrol Industry. I sent my credentials via fax but have not yet received a response. Another friend told me about some openings with the 3M company. 3M stands for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. It is a very large multinational company that makes thousands of products. They may soon be hiring someone to help with their training efforts. Another friend sent me information about an industrial company in Duluth, Minnesota, that makes industrial hoists and lifting equipment. They are also looking for someone to help them with training and management development. I also interviewed with a small hospital in the town of Red Wing, Minnesota. It is located about an hour

drive*south of the Twin City area on the Mississippi River. It is an attractive old river town. Back when Minnesota was first being populated, it was a major commerce center. The riverboats would 3 top there to load and unload goods. Red Wing is known for its pottery factory. Red Wing stoneware is widely recognized all across the United States. It is also famous for being the home of fhc Red Wing boot company. Red Wing boots are primarily worn for heavy labor (public utility and factory work) and for outdoor -work (sports, logging, hunting). Red Wing boots are very well made, warm, water proof, and last a long time. They are not inexpensive but, if cared for, will last a lifetime.

Anyway, about the job... The hospital is seeking a person to help them with what is called Total Quality Management. TQM is a particular type of management philosophy that provides a way to constantly improve organizational and personal performance in an organization while also improving the products made by the organization. It is a bit difficult to explain without going into a lot of technical detail. Suffice it to say that this philosophy is being widely adopted in the United States and has proven to be effective. The hospital in Red Wing wants to apply tlhc same management ideas to health care and I am being considered for the job. The interview went well and they are checking with people I have worked for in the past, and inquiring about my job performance. I'll let you know what happens. If I get the job I'll commute to Red Wing for the first year or so. Then, if all goes well, and Martha can find a job there, perhaps we'll sell our house in St. Paul and move to Red Wing.

You ask how I do support myself without a job. In truth, I do not support myself but must rely on Martha. This is not a problem. She earns enough money that we can maintain our life without much change. Her salary is enough to buy food and pay the rent. "We do have to cut back on nonessential things like going out for movies, buying gifts, trips out of town, and we have nothing to put into savings, but generally we are comfortable. Now that winter will soon be here I am a little concerned because the cost of heating our house will increase, but we will be able to take care of it. Wc have been through times like this before when one of us did not have a job. We simply rely on each other to take care of the bills. There were times when Martha did not have a job and I supported us. Unlike some couples we do not have separate finances. We do not have "your money and my money." It is all simply "our money" and we share it whether there is a lot or a little. Some American C ouplcs do keep their money separate. Each person has his or her»; hecking account and savings account. At the end of the month

each person pays his or her part of the rent and bills. We have never seen the value of separate banking accounts. We have agreed to share all that we have; money, home, bills...everything.

Well, that's all for today. Please write when you have time. I do look forward to your letters. Give my best wishes to you family, friends, and students.

Love,

Barry.

October, 1991

Dear Nadya,

Martha had four days off from work and we spent most of the time together, working, shopping, cooking, and relaxing. Today she had to go back to work so I am doing my house work, cleaning up the yard before winter arrives, doing a little cooking, and catching up on my writing.

In one of your letters you said some members of the Bahai religion were visiting from Canada. I am somewhat familiar with the Bahai group and have visited their temple in Evanston, Illinois. As I recall, the Bahai believe that Christ and all the other prophets and religious leaders are all part of the same line and represent the same God. I believe they also have a central figure who was a prophet from Persia. The temple I visited was quite wonderful. It was very modern and looked like a cathedral made of concrete lace. Truly an impressive structure. Not like the old cathedrals from the middle ages but impressive in its own right.

You asked about religion in the United Sates. I will do my best to answer although it is a difficult topic to address fully. As you know, religions of all types are allowed in the United States although we are primarily a Christian nation. There are many different types of Christianity however. Minnesota, with its strong Scandinavian influence, has a great many Lutherans. There are also many Roman Catholics, Jews, Episcopalians, Methodists, Mormons, Baptists, Pentecostals, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and even some Buddhists, Muslims, and Taoists. I was brought up as a Roman Catholic. I attended a Catholic grade school and was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph from grades 1 -8. Every Sunday I would attend Mass with my classmates, go to confession on Friday nights, and take part in all the other celebrations and rituals of the church. In the United States, church sponsored schools do not receive any financial support from the

it«i*c or from taxes. Private schools are completely separate from the public schools in terms of funding. Even so, they offer sur prisingly good education and religion is taught as part of the cur riculum.

In my first year of high school I even toyed with the idea of bee oming a Cathol ic priest (I know it's hard to believe!). You see for a "good Catholic family" it is highly desirable for a son to become a priest and for a daughter to become a nun. Getting married, while a sacrament, is not considered quite so virtuous. It sceans to me that the Catholic Church in the United States tries to get young boys to become interested in the priesthood and commit to iC before their hormones kick in and they discover girls! I barely made it out of there! I spent part of one summer in a seminary. Even after I was no longrer considering the priesthood I still socialized with some friends in the Dominican Order. I spent a cou pie of Christmases in Chicago at the Dominican House of Studies.

There is very little religious tension in Minnesota. I would say there might be one or two incidents per year that make the news bees use of differences in religion. There are a number of social issues that are closely related to religious beliefs, but religion itself is ntot a source of conflict. Just today, as I was walking across caimpus, some fellow approached me and said he wanted to talk with me about my relationship with God! This is a typical recr-uiting tactic used by some of the fringe groups and more radical religions. There is a number of religious student organizations and it is not uncommon for them to have speakers on campus mall, have displays, and sponsor lectures.

Getting back to my religious affiliation. Although I was raised Catliolic, I do not practice as a Catholic. I also take exception with many of the churches' positions on social issues. I support a woman's right to decide to have an abortion. I strongly support the use of birth control. Both views are in opposition to that of the church, thus I no longer consider myself a Catholic. So what does that make me? I am not sure. For a while I considered myself a secular humanist. Lately I am leaning more toward a Taoist viewpoint of the interrelatedness of all people and things. Perhaps a lafcel is not so important to describe by beliefs. I must stop for now, my hands and eyes are getting tired from too many hours at the computer. I want to get this letter in the mail as soon as 1 can.

Take care, friend,

Barry

October, 1991

Dear Friend,

In your letter you asked me about pets in the United States. It is a very large topic but I will do my best to answer.

People in the United States love their pets and spend great amounts of time and money on them. The most common pets are dogs, cats, fish, and birds. There are many other rare and strange pets also including snakes, lizards, monkeys, mountain lions, llamas, miniature pigs, ferrets, and all sorts of other wild animals. Different people keep pets for different reasons. Martha and I keep our dog primarily for companionship. A big dog also reduces the probability that you or your home would be robbed, but for us this is just a bonus. We keep our dog because he offers us his companionship. A dog is always happy to see you, will always meet you at the door with his tail wagging. He will never judge you harshly and will never reveal your secrets. He is ever faithful and offers what psychologists call "unconditional positive regard", that is, he will love you no matter what you do, even if you mistreat him. We, like many others, keep a pet because it allows us to share our love and to receive affection in return.

Most pets in the United States are very well treated and pet care and pet products are a big business. Since I am most familiar with dogs, I will talk about them. First there is the expense of purchasing the animal. There is a number of ways to get a dog. Many people go to the Animal Humane Society in their community. Each community has such an organization and its purpose is to find homes for excess animals. Often people will allow their dogs to breed and then find that they cannot find a good home for the dogs. So they take the puppies to the Animal Humane Society where they are kept until someone visits and decides to purchase the dog. The society provides the dog with a good place to stay and with preventative medical care. Puppies may have worms, fleas, or other parasites. The Humane Society treats the dog for these and other potential ailments so that if you take a dog home from the society you can be sure it is healthy. They also give the dogs vaccinations to prevent diseases. They do the same for cats.

To purchase a pet from the humane society you simply go there for a visit and look at the animals they have available. Because people are constantly bringing in new animals and adopting animals, the potential pool of dogs and cats is always changing. If you don't find one you like, come back next week and you may find one you do like. Most of the dogs and cats offered at the society are very young. Puppies and kittens are in

gr-eater demand than older animals. Sometimes it is possible to fimd an adult dog or cat. Perhaps its owner had to move and could not take the animal, or, maybe the owner died and the. inimal was left without a home. Anyway, you go to the society amd they have all these puppies, dogs, cats and kittens for you to look at and to play with. If you decide you want one, they ask you to fill out a few forms, and purchase a license for the amimal. You will also be asked to have the animal neutered to reduce the number of unwanted animals running around. And fLnally there is a small adoption fee to help fund the society. T"he total cost is very low for all of this.

Of course, when you buy a dog from the Humane Society you a re often getting a dog with mixed lineage, not a purebred. For most people this is not a concern. They do not care if their dog is half retriever and half collie. But some people do want a p*urcbred dog. There are a couple of reasons a pure bred dog is diesirable. First, if you buy a purebred you can be very sure of what the dog will look like when it is an adult. You can also be r easonably sure of how large it will be and what kind of temperament it will have. For example, we chose a purebred Colden retriever because we know retrievers to be very affectionate, gentle dogs, who are good with children, tolerant of children abusing them (sitting on them, poking them, pulling can their hair and ears), and that they will defend their home f rom strangers. We also know that golden retrievers are fairly Large, quiet dogs. This is why we decided to get a purebred. Others might select a golden retriever or some other purebred Decause they plan to take the dog to shows and to use the dog £or breeding. A championship dog can be worth quite a bit of ■money and can earn large stud fees. Others might choose a Bwrticular dog because it is good at a certain type of work. Oolden retrievers are excellent hunting dogs. They will retrieve «Jucks from the most frigid waters when out hunting. Other types «if dogs are best suited for guard duty, hunting in the forests, ■or for herding other animals.

Purebred dogs are often bought directly from breeders who 3>lace ads in the newspapers. Usually the breeder will have had the dogs vaccinated and checked by a vet so you know you will be purchasing a healthy dog. Purebred dogs are registered with the American Kennel Club and the buyer will get a copy of the dog's pedigree, often going back many generations. In this way the animals blood lines and value for breeding can be determined. Of course the dogs breeding can cause some problems. Many varieties of large dogs, including golden

retrievers, are prone to hip disease or eye problems. Buying from a breeder is much more expensive. It is not unusual to pay well over 250 dollars for a purebred dog with some going for thousands of dollars. I would guess the average price for a purebred dog is about 350 dollars. The costs to keep a dog also add up. Food, medical care, collars, leashes, hygiene, all these things add to the cost of a dog. I think we buy Chauncy about $40 worth of supplies each month.

Sometimes we take Chauncy for a bath. There is a small business not far from our house that specializes in pet grooming. For a fee we rent a large tub that is all set up for washing a big dog. It is on a stand about one meter high and has a hose for water and two loops of leather to keep the dog in place. After a good wash and rinse, they provide towels and a special blower to dry him. Finally, a professional dog groomer cuts the matted hair from behind his legs and ears. I do not think Chauncy really enjoys it but he looks much better (and smells much better) when we are done.

As you indicated, there are many documented benefits of owning a dog. There have been a number of studies that demonstrated that when people have a dog they do relax more and their blood pressure decreases. Dogs are being used in many types of medical and psychiatric therapy. For many years dogs have been trained to help lead the blind. Now they are also being used to assist the deaf and people who have difficulty moving around. And, as I said earlier, they offer unconditional love.

Pets are ubiquitous in the United States. On our block alone there are 24 dogs and at least a couple of dozen cats. Most cities have laws that require that dogs be confined to the owner's yard. Many people fence their yard just for this reason. We keep Chauncy tied to a long rope that allows him to move about freely but keeps him in our yard. Although cats are supposed to be kept confined, usually they just run about at will. I think this is due to the fact that cats leave smaller amounts of waste. Each day I go out and clean the yard with a shovel and rake. It is not unpleasant as long as I do it each day.

Dogs do require exercise. Each evening, no matter what the weather, we take Chauncy out for a walk. It's actually very pleasant. We put him on a long leash and walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes we stroll around the block, sometimes we visit the park, other times we walk along the river. Chauncy sniffs the ground, chases tha occasional squirrel or rabbit, and Martha and I have a chance to talk away from the TV, radio, and telephone.

Chauncy visits the vet at least once per year for a general check up* and to be tested for a parasite called heartworm. Hcariworm is bc<:oming a real problem in the United States. It is a parasite that is transmitted by the mosquito. It migrates to the dog's heart wracre it multiplies and eventually can kill the dog. Fortunately treatment is rather simple. Each month in the summer (when the mosquitoes are ac tive) Chauncy takes a pill that protects him from the; parasite.

Of course, there are a number of other minor health concerns. Trae most common and aggravating are fleas and ticks. Not only do they bother the dog or cat, but often enter the house on the an imal and take up residence in the rugs or furniture. Keeping the ya rd clean and giving Chauncy frequent baths has prevented us from having problems with these insects.

Each year, at his checkup, Chauncy also has his vaccinations up dated. This is required by law and is a good idea, especially if he will be in a kennel for any period of time. When Martha and 1 go out of town we can't take Chauncy with us. We take him to a kemnel about 40 miles north of the Twin Cities. For about 10 dollars per day they provide him with food, water, affection, some plnay time, and a clean safe place to live while we are gone. The ke«inel has room for about 36 dogs and a dozen cats. Each animal ha:s his own room which is cleaned each day. Chauncy always is ha ppy to visit there.

Well, that's all for today. Hope all is well with you, your family, an<3 friends. I look forward to you next letter. Best wishes to all whtoknowof us.

Love,

Barry

November-December, 1991

Dear Nadya,

I sent you my last letter on October 26th which was a Sunday. As I recall the weather in Minnesota was very nice, somewhat cool, but nice. The following Thursday, October 31st (H alloween) things changed! Early in the morning it started to rai n, but by noon the rain had changed to snow. By Friday mo»rning we had over 30 cm of wet, heavy snow. It continued to *now through Sunday. By the end of the storm on Monday the TWin City area had received an astounding 38 inches (96.5 cm) of mow! They say that this storm was the greatest amount of

snow ever to fall in one storm and was also the greatest amount ever to fall so early in the year. Many people had not yet cleared all the leaves from their yards and gardens. Usually the city street department is able to clear away the snow within a day or so. However, this storm was so unexpected and so strong that the street department was totally unprepared. The snow plows and trucks were not set up to clear the snow and travel was totally impossible from Friday through Monday. On Monday it was possible to drive but the streets were very bad - full of thick ice and snow. Usually it takes about 10 minutes to drive on the highway from the center of Minneapolis to the center of downtown St. Paul. On Monday evening it took almost 3.5 hours! Fortunately for us we had just done our shopping before the storm arrived. We spent the weekend in the house snowed in. As we did not have to go anywhere it was beautiful looking out at the thick layer of pure white snow. We put on our hats and coats and took Chauncy for a couple of long walks around our neighborhood. To shovel our driveway and stairs clear took several hours over the course of three days. But we were not in any hurry and took our time so not to become overtired or injure ourselves.

During the month most of the snow melted. It was common to see bright green grass poking up from under the snow. On the 29th of November we again had a major snowfall - another 45 cm! It was very pretty and this time the snow was fairly dry and did not cause the terrible problems with ice coating every­thing. Still it took us the better part of the weekend to dig out the stairs and driveway in the front of the house. The city street department plowed our street on Sunday which resulted in them pushing a large pile of snow back into our driveway. Fortunately the neighbors all helped us dig it out.

The autumn weather is strange. Since my last letter we have had another large snowstorm that left an additional 12 inches (30 cm) of snow, plus a smaller storm that left 5 inches of snow! And winter does not start until the end of this month. The temperature has been above freezing for the past few days and snow has started to compact and melt a bit. Of course the people who enjoy winter sports love it. Because of our cold and snow many winter sports are very popular. Many people ski, both downhill and cross country. There are many downhill ski areas in Minnesota. In the Twin Cities there are seven areas for downhill skiing. All have chair lifts, rope tows, and other ways to get back to the top of the hill. The height of the ski hills in Minnesota is not large when compared with the mountains out.

in the western states, only about 400 feet..Some areas up along the north shore of lake Superior have vertical drops of about 800 feet and some of the ski trails are a mile long. Again, this is not long when compared with mountain skiing, but it is good enough for many Minnesotans.

Cross country skiing is also popular. Because we have so many pa rks, people do not have to go far to find a quiet and beautiful place to ski. Many people also ski along the river, on the golf courses, ai*d even at the Minnesota Zoo! It's kind of fun to ski at the zoo. Tbiey have a three mile trail that goes past many of the wild animal ru ns including Siberian tigers, wild horses, elk, deer, moose, and many other animals.

Ice fishing is one of the most popular pastimes in the winter. People erect small houses out on the frozen lakes, drill holes in th c ice, and stay for days without returning to shore. The ice ex n become very thick, 2-3 meters. People drive their cars and trucks right out onto the lakes and park next to their fish houses.

On some lakes it looks like a small town has been constructed otat on the ice. There may be hundreds of fish houses. Trucks pl-ow roads on the ice so people can drive around and it is even possible to have pizza delivered to your ice house if you have a radio to call into town. Can you imagine how bored a person m ust be to choose to sit in a little box out on a frozen lake in time middle of winter?

Ice hockey is the number one amateur winter sport. Every school has a team. At the end of the winter there is the big tournament where all the teams from all the high schools in the state compete. It lasts for days. Minnesota also has a professional hockey team called the Minnesota North Stars. I don't pay much attention to professional sports so I'm not aware off much of what they do. It's my impression that the North Stars are not a very good team. Basketball is also very popular,iwid all schools have teams that also compete in a big tournament a* the end of the winter. Minnesota has a professional team called the Minnesota Timber Wolves. This is a new NBA (•National Basketball Association) team and I guess they arc d oing pretty well considering they are a new team.

That's all for today. Hope all is well for you and your family. I look forward to your letters.

Love,

Barry

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